The Big 12’s leading rusher, even after sitting out two of the last three games, Alexander Robinson appears to be back to 100 percent healthy, or as close as he’s been in several weeks.

“Not quite [100 percent],” Robinson said Tuesday. “I’m working to get back. I felt pretty good last game. I was a little sore after, but not too bad.”

Robinson’s return, along with the apparent returns of starting quarterback Austen Arnaud — out for the last two games with a hand injury — and starting center Reggie Stephens — out last week after an appendectomy — should help boost the Cyclones’ ground game that is tops in the Big 12.

“Everything boosts the running game,” coach Paul Rhoads said. “When you have your starting quarterback back in control … that affects the running game. Having your starting offensive line back together helps the running game, and then Alexander back healthy, too, just puts the icing on the cake.”

The Cyclones’ rushing attack is averaging 200.3 yards per game, but has slowed down in the last few games without Robinson at full speed.

Against Nebraska and its stout defense — ranked third in the Big 12 against the run —— the Cyclones only managed 137 yards on the ground without Robinson taking a snap. Then, against Texas A&M, Robinson led the Cyclones to 167 yards rushing with his 84 yards.

The ground attack will have to be at its best for the Cyclones to slow down Oklahoma State on Saturday.

The Cowboys’ run defense is fourth-best in the Big 12 against the run, but it is their quick-strike offense the Cyclones will hope to keep off the field by successfully running the ball and controlling the time of possession.

“We felt we needed to methodically drive it and score points against Texas A&M and shorten the game and give them [fewer] opportunities,” Rhoads said. “The methodically driving was apparent, but we didn’t finish with points. All the yardage doesn’t mean a hoot when you’re down 21–0.

“This will be a comparable kind of plan. We’re going to try and have the ball for our share of snaps, but we’ve most certainly got to end up with points.”

Defensive struggles — Iowa State’s much-maligned defense of 2008 has taken some major steps through the midway point of the 2009 season.

The tackling took a turn for the worse, however, in Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M.

Rhoads said his team missed around 20 tackles in the game against the Aggies, many of which came in the open field leading to big plays. A&M used those big plays to rack up 267 yards on the ground.

Also, for just the second time in 2009, the Cyclones allowed an opposing running back to go over 100 yards on the ground.

The Aggies’ Cyrus Gray piled up 119 yards on 21 carries in the 35–10 win over Iowa State, whose defense had allowed just 137.5 yards per game coming in. The Cyclones gave up 176 yards per game on the ground in 2008.

“We’re going to do what we’ve got to do, hopefully, to stop the run,” ISU defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. “We’ll give up a few passes to stop the run, because if you start running the ball on us then you can do what you want to do every play.”

Pat Paschall of North Dakota State has been the only other back to eclipse the century mark against the ISU defense this year, getting 146 yards in the season opener.

The Cyclones allowed five backs to go over 100 yards against them last season.

Kendall Hunter? — Oklahoma State’s top rusher in 2008 has been out of action for the last several games with an ankle injury suffered in week two against Houston.

Hunter, a junior, ran for 1,555 yards last season, but got only 32 carries and 104 yards before the injury.

However, the Cowboys haven’t had to rush their star runner back to action as Keith Toston has filled in nicely for him, piling up 676 yards in 2009.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said earlier this week that Hunter has been back to practice, and he did see action in the Cowboys’ 41–14 loss to Texas last week, but only got one carry for one yard.

“It depends on how he feels day to day and how sore he is, whether he can make cuts or not, is what decides if we play him in games,” Gundy said in the Big 12’s weekly teleconference. “We put him in a little bit, and I don’t think he felt as comfortably as he should’ve, so we didn’t play him much.”

The ISU coaching staff is preparing for both Hunter and Toston in case the 2008 All-American can return to action Saturday.

“I think [Hunter] just adds more depth to already real good running backs,” Burnham said.